Par 3 isnt viable for some holes

[randy.colwell]

I know the general observation on most courses have all 18 holes as a par 3. The regular course I play at has various lengths. Im fully aware that I'm no professional by a long shot, hell I dont think I'm worthy enough to compete in an amateur tournament without completely embarassing myself. But what I still can't understand is the logic that a hole of 225ft is a par 3 and a hole that is 550ft is only a par 3. I mean are you kidding me? I know its all in the tee off but who made up this rule? Good grief, talk about a disheartening thing to have to put up with as a new player. I guess logic and rulings dont necessarily agree.

 

[JamesGC21584]

If you're playing your friends it don't matter if you're playing the signs or 3's if you get a 5 he gets a 6 you still got him by a stroke i think they only use 3 as par BC it's easier to score that way I'm prolly way wrong though

 

[sansho]

The US Open just started yesterday and has 1 par 3 that is ~105 yards and then 3 par 3's that are all over 240 yards.

Par 3 is set because it is easier to keep track, but mostly because it's completely legit. If a 550 ft hole has a decent golf line, it should be a par 3. 400-450 ft drive. 100-125 ft up shot. putt. par.

All holes can vary substantially and it is quite legitimately conceivable that holes ~550+ ft can be par 3s depending on golf line and/or elevation change.

 

[randy.colwell]

I guess in that regard the longer holes hold a higher value in the tee-off. Which makes new players like myself only getting about half of that from the tee. I guess thats the downside to playing without any real training. The information I do have only show the different ways to hold the disc, and not the proper way to throw. Which I didnt know for the longest until I started taking the game seriously enough to strive to get better. I know how I'm supposed to angle my arm for the best possible throw but it just doesnt feel natural to me yet. I guess it will be another 500 shots until I get used to it to feel confident. How long did it take ya'll to comfortably throw a 300+?

 

[codyroberts18]

I got 299 ft. with a putter within a month, still a personal best for me though

 

[zenbot]

Total strokes is the only number that means anything.

 

[zenbot]

Others will drop by to argue but they are wrong. It's the total number of strokes that wins or loses.

 

[randy.colwell]

thanks for the help guys! I guess practice really does make perfect! All I need is that confidence boost and I'll be well on my way!

 

[AndyJB]

This thread could easily go hand-in-hand with the one about potential new tech changes.

Anyway...the reason shorter holes are par 3s are because par 2s are lame and lazy. The only thing, in my opinion, that should be a par 2 would be a 100 foot straight hole with no obstacles. And who would want to throw that?

They course I just built has a 589 foot par 3. But its downhill all the way until the last 30 feet of the pin...and steep downhill at that. So it can definetly vary. But yes, ball golf, in my experience, has a more diverse set of pars than disc golf.

 

[zenbot]

 

[kutz167]

Do you guys consider a 1000' mostly flat hole a par 3? I think the op is getting at the fact that many people like to say they shot so much over or under par. Yes, the total # of strokes will always win, but it would still be beneficial to have an accurate par in disc golf. Granted, the par 54 system works well for most courses, but there are some where it simply is not feasible.

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

Once you learn how to consistently throw 275' drives, you'll be getting threes on 75% or more of the holes you play at most courses. Putting is vastly easier in this sport than it is in ball golf, too, so scores don't vary as much per hole. We're out there getting threes all day long with a smattering of fours and twos and others even less often.

I would welcome courses loaded with challenging 600'+ holes where it would be feasible to say the course is "par 4." In the meantime, we're most often shoehorned into a public park where 400' holes are generous...and most people get lots of threes.

So, in a sense, "par" in Disc Golf doesn't mean "what a good player should get on a hole with two putts" like it does in ball golf. If we did that, most holes on most courses would have to be par two. Who's on board for that? Me either...

 

[sansho]

Do you guys consider a 1000' mostly flat hole a par 3? I think the op is getting at the fact that many people like to say they shot so much over or under par. Yes, the total # of strokes will always win, but it would still be beneficial to have an accurate par in disc golf. Granted, the par 54 system works well for most courses, but there are some where it simply is not feasible.

Obviously, No.... No 1000' flat shot is gonna be a par 3. I've seen crazy shots 700 ft downhill than could be a par 3.

But this is a constant argument for DG people, but mostly with new DGers and people who can't throw as far.

Par is DG should be better. More accurate. More precise. Etc. I agree!

But for courses and their par, it doesn't matter. If a tee sign says a 3, and it's a 600+ hole through the woods. It's probably not a real 3, they might have old signs for pin position, and when they play a real PDGA tourny there, the par will probably be altered.

All the time you see DG tournys where people are shooting birdies or even eagles on holes that are 3s when you play weekly doubles.

People need to chill out (as I finally did) about par, and just count your total amount if strokes.

If you played $30+ a round (like ball golf) and didn't have a legit pars, signs, yardage, etc, I might be a little more upset.

 

[DavidSauls]

I know the general observation on most courses have all 18 holes as a par 3. The regular course I play at has various lengths. Im fully aware that I'm no professional by a long shot, hell I dont think I'm worthy enough to compete in an amateur tournament without completely embarassing myself. But what I still can't understand is the logic that a hole of 225ft is a par 3 and a hole that is 550ft is only a par 3. I mean are you kidding me? I know its all in the tee off but who made up this rule? Good grief, talk about a disheartening thing to have to put up with as a new player. I guess logic and rulings dont necessarily agree.

Since you're new to this, I offer the following pieces of information:

[1] This thread may blow up. Threads debating "par" tend to do so.

[2] When people talk about every hole being Par 3, they're mis-using the word "par". It's really a scorekeeping shorthand, to keep a running score based on shots over or under 3, without bothering with keeping up with what par has been assigned to each hole. It works well for a great many players on a great many courses.

 

[joshmo65]

I know the general observation on most courses have all 18 holes as a par 3.

Not sure why this is still thought. Seems like every course I play with a 500' hole has it marked as par 4...

 

[larrod25]

Holes 4 and 5 (long) at Sparkman Park should play as par 4s. In order to birdie these holes you either have to throw a 500ft drive or make make a throw in from over a hundred feet. It takes 450 just to clear the creek on 5. When you are playing casual rounds and strategizing the course, don't expect to get a 3 on those holes. If you do, it is a birdie.

I agree that there are many courses with par 3 holes that are not really deucable for the average golfer. I think any hole over 500 ft should be considered a 4. Regardless of the posted par, I will play any hole of that distance as a four. For me, it is about course management. I can only throw 350, so I have to plan on a drive, and upshot, and a putt. Three good shots and I may get a 3, but a 4 is a solid score from that distance.

Previous posters are correct however, total score is the only number that matters. When you are competing with others, par is irrelevant.

 

[Johnny_Crunch]

Once you start driving 450-500 like everyone else here you will understand.

 

[grodney]

I know the general observation on most courses have all 18 holes as a par 3. The regular course I play at has various lengths. Im fully aware that I'm no professional by a long shot, hell I dont think I'm worthy enough to compete in an amateur tournament without completely embarassing myself. But what I still can't understand is the logic that a hole of 225ft is a par 3 and a hole that is 550ft is only a par 3. I mean are you kidding me? I know its all in the tee off but who made up this rule? Good grief, talk about a disheartening thing to have to put up with as a new player. I guess logic and rulings dont necessarily agree.

Here you go:

Lock. Delete. Ban.

 

[Chainchaser]

Others will drop by to argue but they are wrong. It's the total number of strokes that wins or loses.

For the win!!!:hfive:

This is true. I think that going by +/- looks sexier but in the end it is your total score that you go by not by whether you are a +/- to par. Par varies around here so much and I have seen 300 ft holes as stated par fours so I take any par with a grain of salt.

 

[iacas]

[2] When people talk about every hole being Par 3, they're mis-using the word "par". It's really a scorekeeping shorthand, to keep a running score based on shots over or under 3, without bothering with keeping up with what par has been assigned to each hole. It works well for a great many players on a great many courses.

To be fair, though, I do this on the golf course and we have par 3s, 4s, and 5s. If par is 71, and you're -3, it's relatively easy to do that math too.

The only difference over keeping your score relative to even 3s is that you have to know what the hole par is. Really not a big deal.